Comment: The following article appeared in the Cyprus Mail of Nicosia on 7 May 2003

Ministry to re-examine law on Turkish Cypriot properties in wake of new situation

THE
INTERIOR Ministry will be submitting a comprehensive proposal concerning
legislation on the management of Turkish Cypriot land some time next
week, Minister Andreas Christou said yesterday.

The government has been forced to look into the matter after many
Turkish Cypriots applied to the Interior Ministry in relation with their
properties.

Speaking after a meeting held to discuss the matter, Christou said
many Turkish Cypriots had visited the ministry to establish the status
of their property, not to sell it.

“There are the constitutional rights of every Cypriot citizen,
Greek and Turkish Cypriot, but at the same time there are limitations
stemming from the law on the management of Turkish Cypriot properties;
these need to be looked into to be able to address the emerging issues,”
Christou said.

After the 1974 invasion, and the subsequent movement of Turkish
Cypriots to the occupied north, their properties were handed over to the
Guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties – the interior minister of the
day – to look after them and return them when the political problem was
solved.

The minister said the government’s current policy must be “extended
and completed, considering the movement of Turkish Cypriots and their
reasonable requests and applications to the state, as well as the fact
that since April 16 we are an EU member state.”

Christou said all the parameters would be studied and a proposal
would be forwarded to the Cabinet some time next week.

The minister said the law did not have to be upgraded, but certain
issues and cases that had emerged for the first time needed to be
studied and interpreted in accordance with the law and the constitution.

Christou said there were no figures on how many Turkish Cypriots
had applied, but stressed that “many were interested, though the focus
of their interest was to secure the property and not sell it”.

The minister said that Turkish Cypriots wanted to know where their
property was, if it was still in their name, and if it had been affected
by any projects or changed in any way.